Anyone else seen it yet? I just got back from it, don't want to talk about it too much if nobody else has seen it yet though.

Thoughts on the movie? I think it's a legitimately good film, Michael Bay's best. I'm not sure what happened to him afterwards, but it's always worth a rewatch to remind yourself he COULD make a good film.

Discuss

Watched it for the first time this week. Despite vaguely knowing one of the spoilers, it was still a fucking good film that surprised me multiple times. Might even be my favorite Nolan film now.

Have you seen it? What did you think of it?

-Need to walk to the train station to get a bus that leaves at 3.45 am
-Arrive at the airport around 6 am
-Mooch around the airport for 4 hours because that's what's recommended
-Fly to Schiphol, land at 12 am

Die on the spot because of lack of sleep

Sounds like a fun holiday lads. What do you recommend I do to keep myself busy/not bored during my 7 hours? I don't have my laptop but I got my Vita and 3DS.

Anyone dressing up?

Post pics if you have them.

So uhh.... is anyone actually even thinking of getting it?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/honest-trailers-scree-junkies-andy-signore-accused-of-sexual-harassment-harvey-weinstein-a7987706.html

Oh bother.

Three years after the release of the first game, the gaming community impatiently waits for the sequel.

The developers at Bioware made a tremendous effort to create a video game and earn adoration and respect from players all over the world.  Now Bioware is forced to develop a follow-up to their blockbuster hit- Mass Effect- and hopefully, surpass the original. To quell the doubt, the developers have made a videogame to prove once and for all that the second entry in a trilogy is always the best. Officially, they consider the third game to be the best in the series.

But for those who know the truth, this game is clearly the best...

Mass Effect 2 is the sequel to Mass Effect. While the first game felt like a science fiction tv show that you'd watch on the Syfy channel for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, Mass Effect 2 feels more like a big budget HBO epic that you'll binge every week, with much more polish and oomph put into it.


It's pretty obvious from the get-go that the gameplay is much, much tighter and more refined in this game. No longer does Shepard feel like a floaty action figure that jogs around awkwardly shifting behind cover and hitting enemies with lethal nerf guns. Weapons and powers now pack way more of a punch, aiming is more precise and you won't find yourself running around wondering why your health seems to be dropping so much. There's less gun and armor variety overall when compared to Mass Effect 1, but honestly, in the first game they were basically all the same,  the only difference being the color and stat bonuses. Weapons now feel distinct enough that you can put real choice into which ones you use. It's no longer simply about which sniper rifle has higher heat absorption, now you can consider whether you want a higher rate of fire at a cost to overall damage, or a single shot rifle that packs a real meaty punch.

You will no longer have to pump points into specific gun skills this time around, allowing you more room to concentrate on your powers and abilities. One interesting change is that upon reaching the maximum level of a certain power, you are able to choose from one of two alterations to it, eg. Deciding between a higher damage output or a wider blast radius.

Some fans may delight at the fact that the Mako is gone. In fact, the planet exploration of the first game has been torn apart entirely, replaced with a series of more focused missions across a series of highly detailed environments. I think it really comes down to personal preference which is better. While I feel the mission structure in Mass Effect 2 deifnietely allows for much more rich environments with more detail and characters put into them, I admit I do find myself missing the more open-ended exploration of the first game quite often, despite many of the environments being pretty empty and cut-and-paste. I don't miss it enough to actively ruin my enjoyment of this game though, so I guess it's fine in that department.


More open areas such as Ilium and Omega regain some of the explorative atmosphere of the first game while also managing to cram in many characters and details to come across that while not all being relatively important to the overall plot, really adds to the sense of a living, breathing universe that you are able to interact with. I could spend hours running around Omega just trying to talk to everyone, having a (terrible) dance in the nightclub or browsing the seedy markets for new weapon upgrades or armor pieces.


In many ways, Mass Effect 2 feels like filler. The actual main plot of the series takes a bit of a back seat in this game, featuring primarily at the start and end of the adventure with important details being sprinkled in here and there. The bulk of the game is taken up by Shepard's quest to recruit a band of companions to help him on the so-called 'Suicide Mission', which the entire game is building up to. While it is by no means a series of meaningless missions purely to hold you over until the next big event, I do find the way the story is presented in Mass Effect 2 to be a bit odd. Each character's mission feels like its own self-contained mini-story, further lending to this game's feeling like an episodic tv show, with the big story finale happening at the end. Each mission (mostly) feels distinct enough to be enjoyable and not too repetitive, ranging from fighting your way through a plague-riddled quarantine zone, to a high-rise tower block that's still under construction. 


The characters are easily this game's strongest point. With returning favorites like Garrus and Tali, awesome new faces such as the assassin Thane and mad scientist Mordin, and uh.. Jacob. While some of them get more development than others, I love the sense of camaraderie you gain by the end, with your assembled squad that you've taken the time to get to know, you feel ready for anything.  In order for them to perform better in the final mission and learn more about them, each character has a special mission attached to them in which you need to help them in some way or another. I do admit, I would have liked more variety in these because each mission basically boils down to them having issues with somebody in their family, mostly. The missions were still fun, but still would have been nice for more variety.

The villains feel less personal this time around. Saren is gone, instead replaced by the Collectors, a bunch of bug-like aliens that are going around abducting colonies. You get no real conversations with them at all, and just spend most of your time shooting at them and watching them kidnap people. I didn't really feel any proper motivations to stop them apart from the obvious thing about them being the bad guys you need to take down.

An antagonistic group from the first game makes its return in this game: Cerberus. While in the original they weren't much more than the focus of a few optional quests, the pro-human organization makes its true debut in Mass Effect 2, providing you with everything you need in your mission. I'm not sure I like the whole idea of being forced to work with them with not much say in the matter, but I guess such a massive part of the game would have been difficult to split with moral decisions. The Illusive Man, the leader of the organization, is an enigmatic chain-smoker voiced by Martin Sheen who I enjoy talking to very much.

Shepard himself has more to do this time around. He's still a bit pissed that people still doubt him over what happened in the first game, but his charisma and just general all-around-awesomeness provides some entertaining encounters with other characters, whichever path you take him. Some of his one-liners are just brilliant. Without the rest of the squad to play off, I think he wouldn't nearly be as interesting. Everyone simply fits together in such a way that you truly feel like a squad at the end of the game, which makes it even more heartbreaking if some bad decisions lead to people being killed off for real.

Be sure to listen to this for maximum effect. Seriously, it gives me the chills every time.

Mass Effect 2 feels like a step above the first game in almost every way, but in doing so loses some of the charm and magic that made the first game so good. The tighter gameplay and more detailed environments are a welcome change, but gone are the vast open planets to explore and endless lists of armor manufacturers and technologies that made the world feel bigger. As the middle entry in a trilogy, I think the game can afford to spend more time developing the characters and world than actually focusing on the bigger story, but if you're somebody who prefers to just get stuck into the bigger picture of the plot then you might prefer to go straight to the end and not bother with all of the loyalty missions and sidequests. I guess if you want to do that though, why are you even playing the series in the first place?

Mass Effect 2 is like the most delicious filler. If Mass Effect 1 and 3 are two nice pieces of bread, then 2 is the chicken and bacon barbeque cheese melt in between.

The cover art is pretty terrible though.

It's been a while since I've played the trilogy so while the games are still relatively fresh in my mind, let's see if I can pump these out.




In the year 2007, developers at Bioware created a title that spanned the vast reaches of space and touched the hearts of many. In the years that followed, sequels would be released that would prove incredibly divisive among gamers, enabling many heated debates and discussions. The origin for this acclaimed series was a title spawned a series that would dominate internet discussions across different boards.

They called it one of the greatest sci fi RPGS of all time.

The gamers of this world call it...

MASS EFFECT

Mass Effect is a sci-fi RPG that revolves around the plight of one determined yet frustrated man and the people around him that never listen to him. During his galaxy-spanning quest to get his managers to actually open their ears and take him seriously, Commander Shepard encounters a whole host of both loveable and deplorable characters to interact with, clashes with an army of sentient lamps and occasionally goes for a nice, smooth Sunday drive.

With an enjoyable narrative, interesting universe and the gameplay of a late PS2 game, Mass Effect makes for a loveable package that will both frustrate and charm you from beginning to end.


Primarily, Mass Effect is a basic third-person shooter. You take cover behind things, occasionally popping your head out to take quick shots at people. Pretty standard stuff, nothing too revolutionary. In fact, it's not actually that great. Aiming and movement feels a bit sluggish and the weapons don't really feel like they pack much of a punch. It's okay though, because the rest of the game makes up for it.

The menus are exceedingly cumbersome, and since you'll most likely be spending a lot of time in them sorting through different ammo types, guns and upgrades the tedium begins to set in. Hitting your item limit is the absolute worst, because you are forced to dispose of your goods. Not only do you have to spend a good few minutes scrolling down your list and clicking things to get rid of, the list will revert back to the top every time you delete something. Get used to scrolling down, picking duplicates for deletion then scrolling all the way back down AGAIN.


Mass Effect's RPG side (probably the main side) leaves some room for experimentation with character building and setup. After choosing from a selection of character classes that each come with their own abilities and weapon proficiencies, you're well on your way to becoming the biggest badass in space.  You'll earn XP for most things such as completing quests and killing enemies, with which you can use to pump into your stats and proficiencies. Do you improve your skills with weapons such as shotguns and pistols, or do you use those points to boost your health and shields? Maybe you'd prefer to make your biotic (SPACE MAGIC) skills improve instead. These decisions have more of an impact in the early stages of the game where you're pretty terrible at every conceivable action, but later on you'll just be putting points into things just for the sake of spending them.

The real crux of the RPG comes from the way you shape your character's narrative, and the Paragon/Renegade system. While the story itself is pretty solidly set in stone, your interactions and choices along the way can vary greatly, having different levels of impact on it. A character that you choose to kill at some point in the story won't show up later on, while they might have had some more plot significance or dialogue if you chose to spare them. It's enjoyable playing the game in different ways to see what outcomes you can experience.

The Paragon/Renegade system is a bit hit or miss for me. Essentially, you can be one of two extremes: A crap-talking (debatedly) badass space commando who takes shit from nobody, or a messianic galaxy warrior who could smooth-talk the salt out of the ocean. The problem is, many key moments in the game have outcomes that rely on you being deep into either Paragon or Renegade, leaving little room for neutrality. Picking the middle option in conversations will rarely get you anywhere. For players who prefer to make conversation choices based on their own decisions without leaning too far to either side, it can be annoying when you are locked out of important choices due to not being Space Jesus or his Renegade counterpart.

And lastly, there's the Mako. Oh yes, the Marmite of videogame vehicles.
As Mass Effect is a big ass sci fi game with a large galaxy to explore, you'd expect to have some sort of vehicle to ferry you across the various planet surfaces while you shoot aliens or scour for materials. In Mass Effect, that's the Mako. With the controls of an RC car designed by a disabled 6 year old and no concept of physics whatsoever, the Mako definietely makes driving across planets quite the experience. You will often find yourself getting stuck on the environment, dangling precariously over a mountain peak and bouncing around like a university student on MDMA. It's a tough son of a bitch, able to survive massive drops and flips. Some people absolutely detest the Mako and I can see why. It's not exactly fast, and awkwardly navigating your way to artifacts and materials can be a chore but I find it quite charming and was sad to see it gone from the sequels.

Mass Effect feels like an awesome sci fi tv show, with each mission or planet exploration being its own episode. From the slowly unraveling mystery of the true villain, betrayals and relationships and standout sequences, every moment fits in together to make an engaging ride that you should enjoy from beginning to end. The villain actually has an understandable motivation and is despicable enough that you actually want to take him down, which is a nice change from some other games I've played with other less interesting villains. There's enough twists and turns to keep you interested throughout, including a truly memorable moment in which you meet the ultimate evil in the galaxy face-to-hologram.

I really like the sense of exploration and learning in this game. Landing on planets and exploring got a bit repetitive after a while with all the reused environments and enemies, but I was honestly able to look past that as my enjoyment of exploring unknown worlds and finding resources or sidequests was able to outweigh the gameplay niggles. The game features an extensive codex, giving you information on pretty much everything you'd need to know, fully voiced too! It's entirely optional, but it's there for you to find out if you want to learn more.

The characters are awesome, plain and simple. Commander Shepard, whatever path you choose to take him, is a charismatic badass that's going to get the job done, no matter who believes in him or not. You have a selection of teammates to choose from that you will recruit in the early hours of the game, and they each bring their own soup to the table. You have a member of the police force that is frustrated with the lack of action being taken and is determined to pursue his own justice, a gruff, stubborn warrior that is very bitter over something that was done to his race, and others. I found myself using alien squadmates throughout the entire game because I felt that 'hey I'm a human, I wanna play with aliens!'

I didn't know whether to put the stuff about dialogue and the Paragon/Renegade system into the gameplay section or here, but ultimately I decided it would fit better in the gameplay section as it's... part of the gameplay. Unfortunately I'm not the best at analyzing characters or story, so I apologize if I spend more time talking about the game itself than the finer details of the writing.


Mass Effect is a flawed, yet richly detailed experience that, if you don't get bored by walking around and talking to people for an hour or exploring relatively samey planets, will draw you in with an engrossing universe and likeable characters. While the sequels would vastly improve the gameplay and presentation, I think the more open ended science fiction exploration elements were lost in the transition. Maybe you prefer that, but after playing through the trilogy again, I came to realize that I actually miss it. I even miss the Mako!

http://collider.com/akira-remake-taika-waititi/

It looks like Warner Bros.’ long-developing adaptation of the graphic novel Akira is heating back up, this time with an extremely buzzworthy director. Deadline reports that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is now in talks to take the helm of the Akira remake, which takes place in a rebuilt New Manhattan and revolves around the leader of a biker gang.

The studio has been developing this project for a long time, with Ruairi Robinson originally attached to take the helm, followed by the Hughes Brothers with Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves working on the screenplay. The Hughes Brothers departed, then Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows) became attached in 2011 and stuck with the project for the longest. His version actually came really close to fruition, with Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart in lead roles and Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter eyed to join the ensemble. However, in January 2012 Warner Bros. put a halt on production and demanded more script development before moving forward into filming.

Collet-Serra eventually exited the project for good, and most recently we heard that Warner Bros. was courting Jordan Peele to make Akira his big Get Out follow-up. Peele declined, however, opting instead to make another smaller scale original film for Blumhouse.

Waititi is an interesting choice here. He’s worked his way up to studio blockbusters having first broken out with the mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows and then showing he could handle a more sizable budget with Hunt for the Wilderpeople. All seems to have gone well on Thor: Ragnarok, and it’s curious to see that he’s interested in going to Warner Bros. to work on a very different kind of blockbuster.

Akira still may be a ways off as Waititi is next set to direct Fox Searchlight’s World War II dramedy Jojo Rabbit, which starts filming in the spring. He’s also co-directing the stop-motion animated Michael Jackson movie Bubbles.

It’ll also be interesting to see what script Warner Bros. is working with here. In 2012, Toby Kebbell criticized the then-script for the Akira remake, which he said was more a remake of the animated movie than a straight adaptation of the comics. That script also reconceived Tetsuo and Kaneda as brothers.

The plan is still to adapt all six comics in two feature films, so it’s unclear if Waititi would direct both or if he’d just do one. This is all still very early days and this project has a history of, well, not happening, so proceed with caution.

Here's hoping the project's history of not happening continues.

One sex offender even pretended to be a ROAD outside a girls' secondary school to entice teen students to accept his friend request.


Fake social media accounts pretending to be chicken nuggets and ice-cream are being set up by paedophiles to lure primary school kids.

One sex offender even pretended to be a ROAD outside a girls' secondary school to entice teen students to accept his friend request.

Another tried to persuade a primary schoolgirl to lip sync to a song wearing only her underwear, the Irish Mirror reports .

Social media safety expert and forensic psychologist, Dr Maureen Griffin, said despite the success of ‘stranger-danger’ initiatives, warped offenders have “come up with new and novel ways of gaining access to children’s information”.

In a presentation for the Ennis Mental Health Association in Clare, Dr Griffin said that fake accounts are a big issue by those seeking to access children’s information.

She said: “At primary school level, I have dealt with accounts set up pretending to be chicken nuggets and ice-cream in order to friend children.”

Another filthy pervert set up a fake social media account and posed as a road outside a girls’ secondary school.

She said: “Over 400 girls at the school accepted the road as a friend. The owner of the account was a known convicted sex offender who made no effort to contact the girls, he didn’t follow them or meet them in real life or wait outside their school.

“He simply collected their photos, pictures from teenage discos, girls’ sleepovers and a range of selfies.”

Dr Griffin said that one of the best ways of protecting children online is to make sure you know and trust their followers and friends.

She warned that “any site that is targeted towards children, adults with a sexual interest in children will use that site.”

The expert gave the example of the site of musical.ly aimed at children.

She said: “Musical.ly took off by storm here a year ago at primary school level. When it started, it was a very, very cute site. It was a place where children could lip synch to their favourite songs and involves short little videos of the children dancing around singing their songs and posting the videos online.

“It is for 5, 6 and 7 year olds and I dealt with a case during the Summer of a girl on musicall.ly, who had 20 followers - she did not know four of them.”

She said: “One of her followers told her that he would get her more likes for her songs if she sang her song again - this time in her underwear.”

Dr Griffin said: “She was at primary school. She saw nothing wrong with dancing around her bedroom singing her favourite song but broadcasting that to people you do not know is where the difficulty lies.”

She said that nine years ago, when she started talking to schools, students were happily using children’s sites such as Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin up to 6th class and 1st year.

Dr Griffin said that such sites are designed for children aged seven to 14 years of age and they are considered to be a safe introduction to social network sites because they are monitored by real people in real time.

However, Dr Griffin said: “I am now being told by students from 3rd and 4th class that they are too old for sites like Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin, that these sites are for babies and these students are telling me that they are now on Facebook and Instagram where that same level of monitoring isn’t in place.”

Dr Griffin said that she believes that “online, children are subjecting themselves to mental health stresses they would never subject themselves to in real life”.

The expert said that on a daily basis, children and teens are looking for approval and validation seeking ‘likes’ and it is worrying when it is left unchecked.

Dr Griffin said that sites such as Facebook have addressed the issue of fake accounts “by requiring businesses/organisations/causes etc. to set up pages instead of accounts. This way they cannot access all of our data”.

She said: “Offenders setting up fake accounts is only one aspect of online risk that our children face. I believe it is crucial that children know and trust their online friends and followers, as quite a lot of the online challenges our children face come from someone in their friends/followers network, be it online bullying, their account being hacked or images being taken and re-purposed.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fake-social-media-accounts-pretending-11175055?ICID=FB_mirror_main

Big talk but no action?

So I was going through my Spider-Man trilogy box set the other day and noticed that the front covers for them looked like shit. I opened them up and saw that the inside covers looked way better so I swapped them around, and it gave me the idea of doing the same for games. I've actually found that some of them look nicer than the main cover, although there is a distinct lack of logos on the side of the box, but I can recognize them anyway so no big deal.

Here's the ones I've swapped so far:

Let's see those e-peens waving. What videogames have you completed on the highest available difficulty? Out of all them, what would you consider the easiest hardest?

From memory:
Call of Duty WaW
Call of Duty MW2
Call of Duty Black Ops+ Black Ops 2
Halo Reach
Mass Effect 2+3
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Batman Arkham Asylum/City/Knight
inFamous Second Son

All I can remember atm. Call of Duty WaW or The Force Unleashed were probably the hardest, with inFamous being the easiest.